TTC whilst breastfeeding. Tips, advice and support

[Porridgeaddiction]

Hi all,

There doesn't seem to be a thread for TTC whilst breastfeeding, so I thought that I'd start one. All welcome to jump aboard if that's your journey too, or offer tips and insights if you've managed to conceive whilst feeding a young one.

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 ah thank you! It helps being able to share what's happening as nobody else apart from my husband knows.

I could go private. I'd not really thought about it to be honest which is strange because I did have a private scan with my first pregnancy - but we went for a reassurance scan and found out it was a mmc (after a previous positive scan so came as a shock). So maybe I associate the private clinic with bad memories? Not sure, I'm wondering now why it hadn't crossed my mind actually...

I'm almost certain this one isn't good news and I've kind of accepted it's not going to work out this time. I think because I felt from the start that it wasn't looking good I never got excited/my hopes up I'm feeling quite accepting of it. A bit tmi but I've passed a lot of clots/tissue today even though I had almost no bleeding yesterday- still no pain at all which is a bit odd! Pregnancy tests still very positive 😕

Hey I’m not TTC right now but I conceived intentionally while BF last year.
Now I have an 8 month old and toddler. I took pregnacare breastfeeding supplements for first six weeks then hyperemesis kicked in.
I used an OPK and DTD every two days across ovulation week. I conceived second month of trying (very irregular ovulation). Hyperemesis and breastfeeding is awful because you get dehydrated faster. But for the age gap and how close the babies are already, I do not regret it.
It took 7 years to get DC1 so I was stunned that TTC while BF was easier for me! Just watch out for sore nipples weeks 8-14 if you BF while PG. 😅DC1 self-weaned when I was about 16 weeks PG btw, which was sad, but am now BF DC2.

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 sorry that was insensitive of me to post that right after yours. 💐

Hello, lovelies! Can I join please?
Currently breastfeeding my 21 months old, whilst working full time 🥴 Feeding just once in the night, and 2-3 times morning/evening around work.
No cycles yet.. so annoying. I tried to track ovulation and after few false hopes and too many pregnancy tests stopped that idea until actual period arrives. CM has been all over the shop.

Will be starting vitamins and increasing calorie intake. I am trying to have an 8 hour gap in the night between feeds, however that's not happening yet. I am not quite ready to stop breastfeeding, but would love #2!
I hate not knowing what's the craic with the cycles. Prior to #1 I was regular as clockwork.

Everyone is welcome @Mc3209

Sending hugs @PinkDucks it must be so frustrating having to wait until Sunday and not knowing what is happening.

Does anyone else find an additional obstacle to get over is trying to DTD with a young one?! I'm either exhausted or she wakes up and cries just as we're getting started!

@Pitstop1986 Yes!! We are managing once a week at the moment on weekend. Too exhausted during the week. And even then, on a weekend, DS is almost guaranteed to wake up at the most interesting moment 🙈 uuurgh.

@PeekabooAtTheZoo we need some positive stories, and that's amazing you managed to get pregnant so quickly second time around. How old was your baby and were you exclusively breastfeeding?

@PinkDucks I am so sorry. It is horrible waiting. Totally get the connotations with the private scan place, it's not nice having to go back somewhere like that

To update generally I've eaten the extra calories and taken conception vitamins and an antioxidant booster. I don't know if it's correlated to my little one having just turned six months, but I had stomach pain and started spotting today. Hopefully my cycles are coming back.... I am however sad to say I'm two kg heavier 🙈

@Pitstop1986 we probably manage to bd about once a week. Not ideal! Although when DD was conceived, we only had sex once on the month due to DH being unwell then me working nights, so it really does only take one time!

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 I daren't step on the scales now. My belly is noticeably bigger, so I'm definitely piling it on. Didn't help that we had a couple of nights in ahotel at the start of the week visiting family and I went to town on the buffet breakfast 😂

I agree @PeekabooAtTheZoo we need some positive stories! Yours is a real positive too!

@Mc3209 similar dilemma re stopping breastfeeding. I don't really want to yet but equally I don't want it to take forever for us to have another baby. I know lots of people can/do breastfeed whilst pregnant but I do wonder if it makes it a little trickier maybe? I want DD to self wean - ideally once I'm pregnant with a viable pregnancy.

@Pitstop1986 yep it's a real mood killer when your half on edge watching the baby monitor expecting a cry at any moment. Speed/efficiency is definitely our aim now 😂

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 hopefully this is good news re your periods returning! Don't worry about any weight gain. I'm still carrying about 8lbs from my last pregnancy (or 12months maternity and eating a lot of cake) but figured I'll just work on losing it all once I'm done with babies rather than putting in the hard work more than once to shift the weight 😅. I exercise and try to keep fit (ish) but I'm not worrying about my weight now. I'd enjoy those extra calories guilt free!

I'd like to join! Baby is 13 months and two short feeds, one in the morning and one to bed, no periods yet 😢whoever told me BF wasn't a contraceptive was lying! I don't think my boy is ready to drop either feed yet either...

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 and @PinkDucks My first DC was 16 months when we started TTC and we conceived when he was 17 months. He was on food by then but still EBF for all his drinks (about 6 feeds a day) as he had CMPA so getting him off breastmilk had proved tricky.

@PeekabooAtTheZoo did you do anything differently when TTC other than opks? Had your period already returned?

Lovely to hear a success story, especially as your little one was feeding quite often still

Laughing at the speedy efficient BD-ing 😆 that's exactly how it is!

@PinkDucks how are you? Any news? You're in my thoughts today

@Porridgeaddiction ah thanks for checking in. A bit inconclusive to be honest. They found a gestational sac in the right place, no visible pregnancy yet. But something that dawned on me today that hasn't before is that I didn't ovulate until day 21/22 of that cycle so im actually only 5 weeks, not 6. With one of my previous pregnancies they couldn't see anything but a sac at my first scan and when I went back 2 weeks later baby was visible. But I'm not clinging on to too much hope.

Sonographer thought the sac was a bit of an irregular shape so suspects it might be trying to come away which is would explain the bleeding. They've done my bloods and got to go back tues morning for more to see if hcg is rising or not. My gut is that this is still not going to have a good outcome. I kind of hoped that today they'd say I'd already lost the pregnancy and I just had to wait for my next period as being in limbo is the hardest bit.

Sorry just realised that last bit reads a bit insensitive. Don't think I worded it very well. I mean I hoped that we'd have some definite answers today and if it's not/wasn't a viable pregnancy then I hoped it was all over and done with already. If there's any hope of a good outcome then obviously I'd prefer that. My feeling is that it won't be though 😞

@PinkDucks that made perfect sense to me. I guess that you're stuck in limbo for another 2 days.

It would be nice for you to know now whether you are carrying a baby, or you should prepare to start trying for a baby after your next period. If it was me, my head would be up the wall, especially after waiting until today for the scan and not getting a conclusive answer

Yeah the not knowing part is so tough. Really feeling for you Pinkducks. I hope the HCG tests are conclusive so you know what's what, either way x

@PinkDucks sending positive vibes your way. Not knowing is the worst.

I've started my vitamins today and done reasonably well with food intake. Done a long shift at work, so I managed over 12 hour break without feeding today. Let's see how the night goes. Really hoping cycles will start soon.

@PinkDucks how are you? How did your day go?

@Porridgeaddiction still in limbo 😞. The bloods have shown a hcg rise of 10%. Obviously not good as should be closer to 50% but also means they can't confirm miscarriage as levels aren't dropping like they would expect. Got to have more bloods on Thursday now and they said we'll get a better idea and a plan once they're back. So still no clearer. They said it does look like a non viable pregnancy but can't say for definite.

How's everyone else doing?

Sending hugs @PinkDucks hopefully Thursday will give you answers and you can move forwards.

I'm kind of getting fed up of the weight gain. I'm enjoying the food, but starting to feel like a bit of a blob! CM is changing, not egg white, but I'm definitely a little more wet (sorry tmi) I still haven't been to the shop for a new battery for my opk so I still have no idea what's going on. Just going to try to DTD a couple of times per week if we can and hope for the best. It doesn't help that DD has started feeding every 90 minutes again and isn't really bothered about solids. She's 9 months next week so should be eating more than a couple of spoonfuls by now! 🙈

How's everyone else getting on? Anything to report?